Having a Sleepover
by JellyBeanDiva
Summary: Eric has Calleigh over for a sleepover... but why would he need earplugs? EC
1. No Sleep for the Wicked

Eric walked into the locker room looking a little weary and tired. Speed was sitting on the locker room bench, pulling on a pair of work shoes. Speed chuckled at the sight of Eric. He knew that two days ago when Calleigh was looking for a place to stay, Eric had nearly knocked him down trying to be the first to offer his place to her. Calleigh's apartment was being fumigated and she was homeless for three or four days. Speed had simply smiled and backed off when Eric jumped at the chance to host Calleigh. He knew that for some time now Eric had been in love with his coworker, and if Speed wasn't imagining things he could swear that Calleigh harbored some kind of feelings for Eric too.

Looking at Eric's ragged appearance, there hadn't been a lot of sleeping the night before. Speed laughed outright at Eric, shaking his head.

"Man, you look awful." Speed stated dryly. "Get a lot of sleep last night, man?"

"Whatever, Speed." Eric shot back. "I didn't get much sleep last night."

"You go, man." Speed cheered.

"I wish." Eric said with an air of exhaustion. "You know Calleigh's sick right?"

"So you played a little doctor last night?" Speed asked, interrupting. Eric sighed, rubbed the back of his neck and hung his head. A small grin spread across his lips, but then faded.

"Like I said, I wish. No man, I know she's sick and everything, but I needed earplugs at one time last night. It was like the foghorn was right inside my bedroom." Eric said. He was obviously tired and bothered. Eric was usually grumpy without a good night's sleep.

"Calleigh snores? Who would have thought that? I didn't think she had any flaws." Speed said with a chuckle. "What did you do man?"

"I just kept piling the pillows one on top of the other. After three, it was more like coffee grinder sound rather than a foghorn. I don't know if I can last another two nights with her, man. I know it's just because she's sick, but stil..."

Speed stood up, having tied his shoes while listening to his friend, and patted Eric on the shoulder.

"I feel for you man. Either hope that she gets better soon, or invest in some earplugs." Speed said choked up with laughter.

"I'm glad you find this funny." Eric said gloomily. As Speed walked away from Eric, Eric could hear his laughter echoing off of the lockers. Eric was opening his locker when Calleigh rounded the corner from behind Eric and the lockers.

"Hey Eric." Calleigh said. Her voice sounded a little strange, and Eric could tell that she was still sick and congested. However, Calleigh smiled through it all. "Thanks again for letting me stay at your place."

"No problem. I'll pick up something for us to eat tonight when we both finish. How are you feeling?" Eric asked.

"Okay." Calleigh said with a sniffle and then a throaty cough. "Well, I'm due in the ballistics lab. See you later."

Calleigh walked out of the lab, and Eric was left staring at her as she walked away from him. Even sick, he knew that he could be completely in love with her if she gave him a chance.


	2. The Sleeping Bag

Later, when day had turned into evening, Eric was looking for Calleigh. He had been looking for Calleigh for the last 10 minutes. They were supposed to meet in the parking garage at the end of their shift to go back to his place. But after waiting for Calleigh for a few minutes, he had gone back into the lab to look for her.

Walking up and down the lab corridors, Eric's eyes darted back and forth and his head popped in and out of every office and lab.

"Eric, honey, you looking for something?" Alex asked sweetly. Watching Eric search frantically around the lab made her a little nervous.

"I'm looking for Calleigh. We were supposed to leave about twenty minutes ago, but I can't find her anywhere." Eric said.

"Are you sure?" Alex asked as if Eric were confused. "She's down in the ballistics lab. She told me she'd be here for most of the night."

When Eric didn't answer and stared at Alex in confusion, Alex continued. "Maybe I misunderstood her, Eric. Why don't you go down and clear this all up. She's not feeling well, you know. She needs to go home."

"Don't I know it." Eric mumbled, walking away from Alex.

A few minutes later, when Eric stepped off the elevator and into the ballistics lab, he saw Calleigh. Just as Alex said, she was working away, analyzing a bullet under the microscope.

"Calleigh?" Eric called out tentatively, not wanting to startle her. "Cal, I though we were supposed to meet so that we could go back to my place."

Calleigh looked up from her microscope, pushing her hair over her shoulder and out of the way.

"Oh, hey Eric." Calleigh said. She still sounded congested and her nose was beginning to turn pink from tissue use. Eric thought it made her look even more cute. "I guess you didn't get my message. I thought that I'd let you go home and get some sleep and I'd stay for a while and get some things done."

"Calleigh, you're sick. You need to get some sleep and take it easy." Eric said, walking closer to her. Calleigh stood up and walked to the other side of the table, bagging and resealing her evidence. When Eric followed her, he noticed an overnight bag and a sleeping bag sitting in the corner of the lab close to Calleigh's desk.

"Cal?" Eric called out, staring at the duffel bag, pillow and sleeping bag sitting on the floor of the ballistics lab. "Calleigh, what's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Calleigh asked innocently.

"What's all this?" Eric asked, motioning to her things.

Calleigh coughed, sniffled and then answered. "I thought I'd stay here tonight. My shift starts in about six hours anyway, and this way you can get a good nights sleep. You know, without me and my congestion you wouldn't need all those pillows or earplugs. This way there wouldn't be a foghorn or a coffee grinder in your house."

The words stung Eric. The small hint of sarcasm wasn't lost on him. He was upset that Calleigh had overheard him and ashamed that he ever said those things to begin with.

"Calleigh, I never…" Eric began.

"Save it, Eric." Calleigh said, cutting him off. "It's no big deal."

"It _is_ a big deal, Calleigh. You can't sleep on the floor of the ballistics lab." Eric argued.

"Well, I was thinking that the couch in the break room looked comfy, if it's free that is. Sometimes Speed crashes there." Calleigh said all this casually, as she walked around the lab cleaning up her latest case.

"Look, Calleigh, I didn't think you were there. I didn't mean it the way…" Eric began to explain.

"Just stop." Calleigh said, cutting him off. Eric noticed that she didn't look mad or upset, maybe a little dejected and disappointed, or that could just be the effects of her cold. "I know that you never would have said those things if you had known that I was on the other side of the lockers, but you did. Eric, the truth is that you need a good night's sleep just as much as I do. It's okay. Thanks for offering to let me stay at your place, but it's better if I don't. Now, go home and get some sleep."

"Calleigh…" Eric said. He didn't quite know what to say. It was hard to argue with a calm and polite Calleigh. But Eric knew enough to know that even though Calleigh wasn't mad, her mind was made up. And when Calleigh made up her mind, it was hard to change.

"Have a good night, Eric. I'll see you tomorrow." Calleigh effectively dismissed Eric, walking away to the firing range with a cacophony of sneezes and coughs.

Eric was left standing alone in the ballistics lab. He sighed in defeat and began to think of ways to fix the mess he'd made.


	3. That Doof!

Speed was sinking down into the cushions of the break room couch when his phone began to vibrate.

"Speedle." He answered with a tired sigh.

"Speed, you gotta help me." Eric demanded.

Speed sat up straight and listened intently when he heard the desperation in Eric's voice.

"Delko, are you okay? What's going on?" Speed asked.

Eric paused for a moment to consider the concerned tone of Speed's voice. Tim Speedle rarely showed that much outward concern for people. "No man, I'm not okay."

"Okay, Eric. Just stay where you are and H and I will get you some help…" Speed said, beginning to formulate a plan.

"No, no, no!" Eric exclaimed. "I'm not in trouble of any kind…. Well I am, but nothing like. I need your help with Calleigh."

Speed groaned into the phone and settled back into the cushions of the couch, ready to listen to Eric's saga. As Eric explained to Speed his problem with Calleigh, Speed smiled. Only Calleigh would be this passive aggressive and stubborn, and only Eric would worry about it this much. If it had been him, Speed would have shrugged his shoulders and told Calleigh that she could sleep anywhere she damn well pleased. She was an adult and could make her own decisions. Only Eric would get this upset over Calleigh wanting to prove a point, and construct an elaborate scheme to stop her.

In the end, Speed agreed to take Calleigh out to dinner, in order to make sure that she ate and took some cold medicine, and in exchange, Eric was buying the next three rounds of drinks when he and Speed went out later that weekend.

Tim walked down the stairs to the ballistics lab. He preferred to take the stairs rather than being cooped up in the small elevator. He walked quietly into the lab and spied Calleigh sitting at her desk. She was bent over her work, her arms folded on top of her papers and her head resting on top of her arms. Calleigh's blond hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail that was sliding to one side of her head. Tim smiled at the picture. Leave it to Calleigh to be too proud to go home with Eric and instead end up sleeping at her desk.

Tim walked over and put his hand gently on her shoulder. The moment his hand made contact with her, Calleigh sniffled and inhaled deeply.

"What can I do for you Tim?" Calleigh asked without lifting her head from her arms.

"How did you know it was me?" Tim asked suspiciously. Sometimes Calleigh's intuition drove him nuts.

"Well, usually I'd be able to smell your cologne. But since I can't smell today, I have to admit that I heard your cords rubbing together as you walked. You're the only person who wears baggy corduroys to work." Calleigh explained. She lifted her head wearily and smiled at Tim. "But, hey… they look good on you."

"Thanks." Speed said. "Hey, what do you say we go get something to eat? I hear you're going to be here a while, and you need to eat something if you're going to get over that cold."

Calleigh nodded and got up, grabbing her things in the process.

"I take it you talked to Eric." Calleigh said. It was more of a statement that a question.

"Yeah. For what it's worth, he feels horrible. He wasn't saying those things to be mean, he was just… saying them." Speed explained, trying to smooth things over.

"I know. Eric would never be intentionally cruel like that, but he was still thinking it at the time. I don't want him to feel put out at his own home. This way, we'll both get a good night's sleep." Calleigh explained as they got into the elevator.

"You call sleeping on the floor of your lab getting a good night's sleep?" Speed asked skeptically.

"I keep telling myself that it'll be like camping." Calleigh quipped.

"You just keep telling yourself that." Speed said, shaking his head. Calleigh and Speed stepped off the elevator and made their way out of the lab to get something to eat.

Calleigh had to admit, getting something in her stomach made her feel much better and much more human. Now if she had only been less stubborn and had a decent place to sleep tonight, she felt she'd be much better off. Calleigh had toyed with the idea of asking Speed if she could crash at his place, but she knew how much he enjoyed his privacy.

Speed and Calleigh were walking through the reception area and towards the lab when Calleigh heard her name.

"Detective Duquesne." Calleigh turned to see the reception area officer walking towards her. "Detective Duquesne, this was left for you."

Calleigh took an envelope from the officer and looked from it to Speed and back to the envelope. Speed just shrugged and suggested she open it. When Calleigh opened the envelope, there was a single sheet of paper with a key taped to the bottom.

_Calleigh, _

_You need a good night's sleep more than I do. Go to back to my place and get a good night's sleep. I'll bring breakfast in the morning. Cindy has your bag behind the reception desk and Speed will drive you home. Don't even think about trying to use that sleeping bag… it's already in use. See you tomorrow._

Eric 

"That doof!" Calleigh exclaimed.

"Please tell me that 'doof' is some endearing southern term for a caring idiot." Speed mumbled.

"Something like that." Calleigh assured him.

"So, you ready to go?" Speed asked.

"You knew about all this?"

"Somewhat. I knew that I needed to take you out for dinner and then bring you back here. Delko failed to inform me that I'd be driving you to his place, but it's on the way. Let's go, Goldilocks." Speed said with a smile.

"Tim, can you get my bag from Cindy? There's something I need to check first." Calleigh asked as she was already walking quickly down the hallway.

"Sure, but my car turns into a pumpkin at midnight, so don't take too long." Time called out after her.

Calleigh walked down the hallway, stopping short of the break room door. As she stood silently in the doorway, Calleigh saw what she was looking for – or rather whom she knew would be there. The break room was dark, except for light coming from the TV and the light over one of the tables. In the darkness, Calleigh could make out Eric, scrunched up in her sleeping bag on the couch. Calleigh thought about waking him, but instead smiled and turned to walk back to where Speed was waiting.


	4. Having a Sleepover

The next morning, Calleigh woke up when she felt the bed sag next to her. Rolling over, she came face to face with Eric. His deep, brown eyes were staring at her only inches from her own.

"Hey." Eric said when he saw Calleigh roll over to look at him. His voice was quiet and deep. Calleigh smiled upon hearing Eric's voice.

"Good morning." She said. Her voice was still a bit raspy from her cold, but Eric thought it was the sweetest sound he had ever heard.

"Breakfast is…" Eric stopped and yawned involuntarily. He had tossed and turned all night on the couch in the break room, at one time the sleeping bag had actually slipped off the couch with him in it, causing him to collide with the coffee table. "…breakfast is waiting in the kitchen."

Eric began to get up off of the bed and head into the kitchen to get breakfast when something caught his hand. Looking down at his hand, he realized that it was a someone rather than a something that had caught his hand. Calleigh's hand was wrapped around his, holding him in place next to the bed and tugging him back down onto it.

"You look tired. Didn't you sleep well?" Calleigh asked.

"Me? Oh, I slept fine." Eric assured Calleigh, even though he could tell that Calleigh didn't believe him.

"You've never lied to me before, please don't start now." Calleigh said honestly. Calleigh tugged forcefully on Eric's hand helping him to lose his balance and land next to her on the mattress with a thud. "Get down here. Come to bed and get some sleep."

Eric laughed at Calleigh's forwardness. As he landed on the bed, at first Eric tensed up. He had always dreamed of the day when he could lay next to Calleigh in bed. Just as suddenly as his body had tensed up, it relaxed when Calleigh rolled back over, her back to his stomach, taking his arm with her and wrapping it around her in the process.

"What you did was really sweet, Eric." Calleigh said sleepily as she toyed with the idea of slipping back into her dream world. Eric wrapped around her just felt right. "If I didn't make you want to go out and buy earplugs, I'd say that we should tell Horatio we're going to be late and have a sleepover."

"I don't want anything but you." Eric said, his eyes heavy and drooping with sleep and longing for Calleigh. "And as long as we don't have to paint each other's toe nails later, your idea of a sleepover is perfect."

Calleigh giggled and snuggled closer to Eric. "Perfect… just like you."

Eric pulled Calleigh closer to him. He felt Calleigh's breathing even out, a tell tale sign that she was asleep. Eric's eyes were closed, his mind foggy with sleep and he was just drifting off when he heard it – that faint snore coming from Calleigh. This time, though, he knew better than to care.


End file.
